Closure for bags



Sept. 11, 1934. V F. F. HENRIOT CLOSURE FOR BAGS Filed May 21, 1932 I ATTORNEYS;

Patented Sept. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT; We

1,973,255 CLOSURE For: BAGS Floyd F. Henriot, Klamath Falls, Oreg. Application May 21, 1992, Serial No. 612,794 11 Claims. (C1, 229- The present invention relates to improvements in closures for bags or the like, and its principal object is to provide a closure of the character described that allows of convenient dispensing of the contents of the bag.

More particularly, my invention has reference to small bags adapted for the handling of to bacco, or the like, and it is one of the objects of my invention to provide a closure that allows Cellophane to be used for tobacco bags, the superior qualities of Cellophane for this purpose being well-known and the principal problem being to provide a means for allowing the contents of the tobacco bag to be dispensed and the bag to be closed at the end of each dispensing operation.

It is particularly proposed in my invention to provide a closure that is slidable on the open end of the bag and may be clamped thereon so as to air-tightly shut off the contents of the bag, but which may also be used for the purpose of cutting an aperture into the bag so that when the closure member is raised, the tobacco is acces sible through the opening.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 shows my closure by itself, in perspective view; I

Figure 2, my closure as applied to a bag in central vertical section; V

Figure 3, my closure as applied to a bag in horizontal section, taken on line 3- -3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4, a side elevation of a bag having my closure attached thereto, the closure being in dispensing position;

Figure 5, a similar view from the opposite side showing the closure in bag-closing position;

Figure 6, a side elevation of a modified form; and

Figure 7, a vertical section taken along line 7-7 of Figure 6.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, I wish to have it understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In its preferred form, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, my closure comprises a clasp 1 adapted to surround a bag of Cellophane of substantially the form of tobacco bags now on the market, the clasp preferably consisting of two side sections 2 and 3 hinged together as at A:

and adapted to be secured at their free ends by projections 5 adapted to be interlocked with registering recesses 6. When the clasp is assembled around the upper end of a tobacco bag, it'slides freely thereon, andin order to eifect a perfect closure, I preferably provide a cam member '7, which may be covered with cork or rubber, in one of the two sections of the clasp, the cam member being operable by a handle or bail 8 for urging the two walls of the cellophane bag into intimate contact with, one another and with the other section of the clasp. It will be understood that any suitable clamping means may be substituted for the one shown in the at 10. The two sections of the clasp are formed with corresponding recesses 11 and 12, and prongs 13 extend from the edges of the recess 11 and are made to pass through the material of the bag and turned over the margin of the recess 12. The bottom edges of these prongs are sharpened so that when the clasp is made to slide downward on the bag, the two prongs 13 cut slits into the bag material in alignment with the side walls of the slots 9 so that when the clasp is moved beyond the original slots, the prongs will extend the slots into the bag material. The section thus separated by the prongs may be out against the edge of the recess 11 of the clasp so that the slot, on being extended into the bag material, retains its curved lower edge.

The slots 9, which are provided to extend through the center of the bag, leave two tongues 14 and 15 on opposite sides of the slots, and as these tongues become longer, due to the extension of the slots, their upper ends may be cut off against the sharpened upper edges 16 of the clasp, or the clasp can be tilted and the tongues may be torn along the jagged edges 16, (see Figure 1).

In operation, the bags may be manufactured with the slots 9, or the clasp may be relied on for cutting the slots into the bag material. The clasp li'iii may be made in the open form shown in Figure clasp. As the clasp is made to descend on the upper end of the bag, the prongs 13 cut into the bag material to provide the slots 9 as far as the same have not been originally provided.

To effect a tight closure of the bag, the clasps are moved downward sufiiciently far to make the edges of the recesses 11 and 12 register with the lower ends of the slots 9, whereupon the bail 8 may be swung around the upper edge of the clasp in the manner shown in Figure 2 for tightening the cam member '7 upon the bag material. If it is desired to remove a part of the contents of the bag, the bail 8 is released and the clasp is made to slide upwardly so as to uncover the lower end of the slot 9, through which the tobacco mayv now be dispensed. As the contents of the bag grow less and less, the clasp is moved downward further and further, the prongs 13 automatically extending the depth of the slots 9. As the tongues 14 and 15 begin to project too far above the clasp for convenient handling, they may be cut off against the upper or lower edges 16 and 16' of the clasp. As far as they are retained, they will be accommodatedby the bail 8 to lie flat against the upper face of the clasp section 3 in the man ner shown in Figure 2.

A much simpler form of my invention is shown in Figures 6 and 7, in which the clamping means is omitted and in which the clasp 17 is made to have a fairly tight fit on the upper end of the Cellophane bag. In this form, a single prong 18 is provided to extend from one side of the clasp through the bag material to the other and to merely slit the bag material along a single line as the clasp is made to move downward.

I claim: 7

l. A closure for a bag of the character described comprising a confining member slidable on the and means associated therewith for cutting an perlnre in the bag material'when the memb is moved from the open end of the bag tothe bottom thereof.

A closure for a bag of the character described, comprising a member surrounding the and slidable thereon and having inwardlyprcjecting points .for cutting the bag material when the member is moved from the open end of the bag toward the-bottom thereof.

3. A closure for a bag of the character described comprising a confining member slidable on the bag having means for cutting an aperture into the bag material when moved away from the open end of the bag, and having clamping means in advance of the cutting means for allowing the bag to be closed against said aperture.

4. A bag of the character describedhaving a discharge slot in the, wall thereof and having means movable thereon for covering and uncovering the slot including means for extending the length of the slot when the first means, is moved toward the bottom of the bag.

5. A bag of the character described having a discharge slot in the wall thereof and having a member movable thereon for covering and uncovering the slot, the said member having means for extending the length of the slot when the member is moved in a predetermined direction, and means for clamping the member upon the bag.

6. The combination with a bag, of a closure therefor comprising an elongated body member designed to enclose the walls of the bag and to hold them in abutting relation, and a looped handle pivotally carried at the ends of th elongated member and having a cam portion disposed in the member for clamping the bag thereto when the handle is in one position, and thereby sealing the bag.

7. A closure for a bag comprising two members connected at their ends and slidably receiving a bag therebetween, and a cutting means extending transversely between the members for slitting the bag as the closure is moved toward the bottom of the bag. 7 r

8. A closure for a bag comprising bag-clamping members secured to each other and designed to slidably receive a bag therebetween, and spaced cutting knives extending transversely between the members for cutting the bag when the closure is moved toward the bottom of the bag.

9. A closure for a bag comprising bag-clamping members secured to each other and designed to slidably receive a bag therebetween, and spaced cutting knives-extending transversely between the members for cutting the bag when the closure is moved toward the bottom of the bag, a hendle pivoted to the closure, and abag-clamping means actuated by the swinging of the handlefor preventing movement of the bag with respect to said first-named members.

10. A bag of Cellophane or the like having a slotted element thereon iorpressing the side walls of the bag upon one another, the element a being mounted with freedom of lengthwise adjustment on the bag so as to form a closure for the same adapted to follow the diminishing contents of the bag as the latter is emptied and one of the side Walls of the bag having a discharge aperture adapted to be covered and uncovered by the element.

11. In combination, a bag of flexible material having an open end and having a discharge aperture in the side thereof and a closure movable on the bag for closing the open end, the closure be- N ing adapted to cover the side opening for closing the same. 7

' FLOYD F. HENRIOT. 

